As I step out of the car, it immediately transpires that I’m not wearing enough tweed, an unspoken Cheltenham rule that I seem to have forgotten since March.
This feels like an inexcusable transgression and I’m hopeful that I’ll still be allowed in, given the Jockey Club’s ‘come as you’re comfortable’ dress code.
It’s been a while since I’ve graced the hallowed turf of jumping’s headquarters and it feels fantastic to be back, although bitterly cold and suffocatingly busy – both key requirements of the New Year’s Day fixture at Cheltenham. Add in hungover and/or still drunk (unchecked), country attire (unchecked) and new year's resolution (undetermined) to your list and you’ve got all the elements required for a day out at Prestbury Park.
As a side note, if Holland Cooper fancy kitting me out for the Festival, I will succumb gracefully to the demands of country fashion.
After the maiden hurdle and a quick visit to see the Gruffalo in the Junior Jumpers tent (an excellent initiative from Cheltenham), I return to the paddock for the Ellenborough Park Hotel ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase.
I fall in next to Dan Hague, owner of Miami Magic and someone who has always been supportive of my career during the short time I’ve known him.
Dan is probably better recognised for his bookmaking, but I was impressed by the ride he gave Miami Magic around the New Course alongside jockey Charlie Hammond, pushing for a big stride at the open ditch, with a reassuring ‘good boy, good boy’ under his breath as the gelding pinged from fence to fence.
A beaming smile began to spread across his face as the realisation dawned that Miami Magic wasn’t for catching and he hotfooted it down the chute to welcome in his winner.
“It was brilliant,” he said. “We were hoping to finish in the top three, so we’re delighted and think he can still improve.
“We’ll get him home first before making any plans. He seemed to improve for the better ground, so we’ll be looking for that. In hindsight, he took time to get over the Uttoxeter run and Kempton was probably a bit sharp for him.
“A first runner at Cheltenham, and a winner."
We have a tendency towards sensationalism in the racing media, understandable given we often struggle for raw material to play with, and horse transfers are always going to make engaging content.
It was relief, rather than satisfaction, on the face of Dan Skelton as Kabral Du Mathan justified his early career promise to win the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle, having previously been in the care of his former boss Paul Nicholls. Kabral du Mathan was one of a few high-profile horses to leave Ditcheat over the summer and the pressure to deliver for new connections is often forgotten.
“I know these horses have been talked a lot in their movement,” he said.
“Kabral Du Mathan is a beauty to train as he is a very simple, very straightforward horse. I’m delighted with him.
“There was a heap of expectation after Haydock. If he was going to go to the next level he needed to win today, and he has. All roads now lead to the Stayers’ Hurdle and I would go straight there.”
Our need to create an engaging narrative sometimes overrides the human reality behind the story and Dan gave a timely reminder about the importance of a winner, for anyone involved in the sport.
“I’m just a benefactor of horses moving, but I want to point out that Neil [Smith, owner] lost his father in the week so it has been a hard time for him. This is a big boost."
Happy owners, a record crowd and plenty of tweed. 2026 is off and racing.
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